Cross Cultural Preparation

A collection of tips from MEH experience CCD ( Christian Commission for    Development, a Honduran organization) website.

Being and living in another culture can offer many insights into your own culture, your own faith journey, and is an opportunity to hear the voice of God.  Even though it can be challenging and disorienting to be in another culture, an attitude of open eyes and an open heart can bring rich rewards.  Experiencing a different culture helps volunteers become global Christians who better understand the rest of the world. 

Culture exerts a powerful influence on our day-to-day living and wields most of its influence upon us unconsciously.  To encounter a culture different from our own requires careful preparation.

Here are some helpful things to know about Honduran culture:

³        Alcohol and Smoking Taboo:  In Honduras, both drinking alcohol and smoking—even in moderation—are behaviors that not compatible with being a Christian.  Yes, the Honduran perception of these acts is really this strong and negative!  For this reason, drinking and smoking by MEH team members reflects very poorly on the local Honduran Church.  Please do not smoke or drink alcohol at ANY time during your stay in Honduras.  If this is a problem for a team member, he or she should not participate in the mission trip to Honduras.

³        Dancing and Card-Playing:  In most communities, dancing to secular music and playing cards is frowned upon by the Christian community.  Please think twice before doing either of these activities—even the card game, UNO.  Even spontaneous dancing on a sidewalk when a loud car radio passes can be seen by locals as shocking or insensitive behavior.

³        Greetings: Especially in rural areas, handshakes are used mostly by men and are gentle, almost limp.  Strong handshakes are perceived as intrusive and aggressive.  Women in rural areas often greet each other by gently touching each other’s upper arm only. 

³        Gestures: The “okay” sign of the U.S. is obscene in Honduras.  A thumbs-up sign is much more accepted. 

³        How to Dress: Shorts are not generally part of the culture in most of Honduras, even on a worksite.  Sleeveless shirts are fine, but no thin or spaghetti straps please.  Dress simply for worship: skirts for women, short-sleeve collar shirts (knit or otherwise) for men.  Leave all jewelry, or at least all but the most simple jewelry, at home. 

³        Conversation: North Americans are quick to “get to the point”, and are often perceived as being too direct and open.  Diplomacy and tact are useful to avoid giving offense.

³        Personal space:  In Honduras, people stand closer when conversing.  Honduran friends, both men and women, often walk arm in arm along the street. 

³        Sense of time:  Living by the clock is not as important in Honduras as in North America.  There is a general understanding that meeting and starting times are flexible.  See unexpected waiting times as opportunities to connect with others!

³        Attention from community:  The act of watching others (what North Americans might call “staring”) is acceptable in the Honduran culture, especially watching people who are interesting and different, like mission team members.  Try not to take offense.

³         “Promises”:  Be very careful about implying that you will help someone in the future.  “If you’re ever in the states, come visit!” or “We’d love to raise money for your project” or “We’ll bring another team next year!” or any out-loud-brainstorming-about-how-your-team-could-support-the-local-church’s-ministry-in-the-future will sound like promises, and will raise unrealistic expectations.  This happens all the time with MEH teams to Honduras, and has left real, disappointed people wondering why this or that team of North Americans said they would do something if they weren’t really going to do it.

³        Gift from the Team to the Church:  It is appropriate for a team to leave a remembrance with the church, but teams should avoid extravagant gifts. Many churches have memorial plates that would make a good gift.  Teams could make a banner for the host church to use in worship, or a piece of art or a cross for a wall in the church.  Remember—art and banners should have either no words or words in Spanish, please. 

³        Gifting Team T-Shirts:  As with all donations, team t-shirts should be given to the pastor to distribute.  This will certain avoid problems that have occurred in the past. 

³        Other Gift-Giving:  Please do not independently or indiscriminately give money, clothes, or gifts during and at the end of your mission experience.  This may result in unintended jealousy and division.  It also creates imbalances in the dynamics between the community and your group, and with the groups that will follow you.  Give donations instead to your host or church pastor for distribution within the community. We must remember to give with integrity.  The best gift is sharing love, joy, and kindness with your new friends.  More on Gift-Giving. 

³        Photography:  Try to ask permission before taking someone’s picture. (“Puedo?” while pointing to your camera usually works to communicate. It means: “May I?”)  Whenever possible, establish a relationship with people before asking to take their picture.  Even eye contact and smiles can warm your subjects to the idea of having their picture taken.  Be sensitive—private moments deserve to be kept private. 

§         Here’s one idea: some groups choose one or two group photographers for the team.  Some groups would rather not have each member carry a camera for two reasons: security and appearing ostentatious.  One camera can be worth more than a whole year’s wages for most Hondurans.  Once home, the team can have desired photos duplicated. 

§         Almost everyone whose picture you take would like copies of the photos that you take of them.  Don’t promise to send them a copy unless you really will!  People will remember your promises to send photos. Write down names and information and send pictures if you say you are going to do it. 

§         The MEH coordinators are always looking for digital photos taken by the team!  Please send them electronically or a burned CD in the mail!  They’ll be used on the MEH website and in other publications.

 

³      Expect less than first-class accommodations.  There may be a water shortage, bugs, lack of privacy, cold showers, dusty car/bus rides, monotonous menus, a cracked toilet seat, etc.  Before you complain, think about how your complaints can sound to local folks who live in these conditions—or worse—all the time.  Please be a gracious guest in the spirit of Christ .

³      Expect differences in sanitation and personal hygiene.

³      Use the waste can next to the toilet for toilet tissue.  Paper will clog the toilet.

³      Pedestrians do NOT have the right-of-way.  Watch for cars and bikes—they won’t slow down for you!

³      Many in Honduras point with their lips to direct attention quickly and easily.  It’s not blowing kisses, but part of the culture in Honduras.

³      Hondurans are accustomed to using terms of respect.  Pastor/Pastora, Don / Doña, Maestro (foreman), hermano/hermana with first names.

³      Honduras has a culture of machismo, so gender issues sometimes surface.  Sometimes there are cat-calls and whistles toward young North American women from men outside the congregation.  Best to ignore it.  If there is a time when a woman on the team feels strange about attention received, please let someone know. 

³      Play with, hug, and have fun with the local kids—enjoy them!  Do not give things away to them like candy.  Be aware of the rules about kids on the construction site.  If the foreman or pastor says no kids allowed, or only certain kids allowed on the construction site (usually for their own safety, or as a consequence of their past misconduct), please respect and try to understand this. 

Here are a few hints to help you avoid some of the common blunders of volunteer teams:

(from the CCD website— Christian Commission for Development)

"North American”:  Latin Americans consider themselves American just as we do and they are sensitive to people from the (large and powerful) U.S. claiming the name for themselves. Don’t say “Soy Americano(a).” Say “Soy Norteamericano(a)” = I’m North American. Don’t worry; they won’t confuse you with Canadians, although our Canadian friends may take some exception :)

Greetings:  Men in the countryside (campesinos) shake hands with men and women, but their handshake is usually very gentle, even limp. They just sort of touch your hand; they don’t shake it. A solid handshake may seem overpowering and even rude to them. Women in the countryside (campesinas) don’t usually shake hands with women. They pat each other on the upper arm. These customs do not hold in the city where handshakes are more like what we’re used to. A common greeting as you are passing someone on the path is simply “buenas” or “adios”. See your Spanish vocabulary list for more formal greetings.

Turning Down Food:  You may be offered food that you know is risky for you. Here are some polite ways to turn it down. “No, gracias. Me hace daño” meaning roughly, “No thank you. It gives me a reaction.” Simply “No gracias” and a smile suffice. It’s ok to turn down food or drink, just try to do it as graciously as possible. If you think they will see you eating or drinking shortly afterwards you might say, “No, gracias. Tengo un estomago Norteamericano” meaning “No thank you, I have a North American stomach.” They will usually understand that your system is not used to the food.

The Pila:  These are concrete waist-high washtubs divided in 2 sides. One side is a deep basin, which holds water. The other is a scrub board. The water in the basin is to be kept clean. Do not dip your hands, clothes, or dishes in it. There should be a plastic bowl available to dip out water and pour it on whatever you are washing on or over the scrub board. Watch how the locals do it.

Being a Guest:  You are a guest of the community and as such the same rules apply anywhere. Simply, you want to leave the place as clean and neat as you found it, or more so. As a guest, you can be most helpful by staying with the group and managing your individual needs without asking for special considerations. Transportation and communications are difficult. Don’t separate from the group and then get in a situation where you need to be picked up later or sought for. Be on time for meals, bus departures and meetings. If you do leave the group, be sure to tell the group leader or other member and tell them when you will be back.

Gifts:  As much as we may want to leave some of our wealth behind, leaving gifts with individuals in the community will inevitably causes problems. In our short stay we have no way of knowing what the dynamics of the community are. We may unknowingly be creating conflicts and injustices. Please don’t give gifts of any value. The team may bring donations to be left discreetly with the local pastor, who will know the best way to distribute them where there is most need.

Language:  If you are not a Spanish speaker, learn as many words and phrases as you can before traveling. Bring a pocket dictionary. The Central Americans are greatly appreciative and very patient.

Bathrooms:  Most bathrooms in Central America have a trashcan beside the toilet. All sanitary paper is deposited in the trash cans and not down the toilet.

 

Essential Keys to Intercultural Communication:

 ³   Travel in a spirit of humility, respect, and with a genuine desire to meet and talk with local people.

³   Show empathy for the feelings, values, needs, and insights of others.

³   Be aware of the feelings of the local people to prevent what might be offensive behavior.

³   Make your communication positive and pleasant, with group members and locals, an evidence of your goodwill and sincerity.

³   Realize that other people may have concepts of time and thought patterns that are not like yours—not inferior, just different.

³   Instead of seeing only the “different” and “strange”, discover the richness of another culture and way of life.

³   Rather than showing that you know all the answers, cultivate the habit of listening.

³   Where possible, suspend judgment until all the facts are in.

³   Remember that you are only one among many visitors—do not expect special privileges.

³   Regarding accommodations and conveniences, if you want “a home-away-from-home”, why bother traveling??

³   Get acquainted with local customs and respect them.

³   Make no promises to local new friends that you cannot or will not keep.

³   Spend time reflecting on you daily experiences in order to deepen your understanding.  What enriches you may be robbing others.

 

 Doing it our way?
Examining our assumptions as a visiting mission team…

--adapted from the CCD website ( Christian Commission for Development, an ecumenical Honduran organization)

 Going into a new culture for a brief time can be disorienting. Development workers and missionaries have learned a great deal over the years about the resourcefulness and practicality of the people in a given location. We have all made blunders from making assumptions that our way of doing things is “the right way.” The people in Central America, as in all poor countries, have spent generations, sometimes centuries, learning to adapt to their environment and economic hardships. They usually have excellent reasons for doing things they way they do, even if those reasons are not clear to us from the north.

 It is tempting for those of us from technologically advanced countries to comment or think “if these people only had good ol’ North American technology and ‘know how’ they could fix this situation they’re in.” Resist the temptation and go with the idea that “they have their reasons”. This doesn’t mean you can’t suggest ways of doing things that may seem practical and helpful in the context you're in. Just do it with an attitude of humility and non-attachment; if it doesn’t get adopted, that’s fine. The roots of poverty and underdevelopment go very deep. If you find yourself frustrated and wondering how the inequalities came about, seek out information on the subject, and pray and reflect with others about how you can respond.

Compounding the economic hardships that shape the lives of people in Central America is the trauma of a devastating disaster. In Honduras, particularly, development has been set back decades by Hurricane Mitch. This means the infrastructure in some regions was heavily damaged and in others was wiped out. Communications, health care, schools, transportation, roads, and agriculture were all seriously affected. Unemployment was high before, now hunger and homelessness are common. Some people who lost their homes are still living in primitive "temporary shelters."

In such a situation where we feel as though we have so much, and want to give so much, yet the need is so great, we will at times feel helpless. We begin to realize that the task of working, though helpful, may not be most important reason we are there. The work is one part of our witness. But our presence, our willingness to be with the people in a time of hardship, is our most powerful testimony to God’s love. Henri Nowen wrote that Jesus “did not cling to his divine power but emptied himself and became as we are.” Can we “empty” ourselves and be open to the very simple gifts of love that we can give and that we will surely receive?

As we open our awareness to the simple gifts we also realize how much we are receiving. We go prepared to give with open hearts. Let us also go prepared to receive the gifts of love and learning that are bestowed on us, and to bless the daily miracles that will enrich our visit. Watch for them and give praise.

When we return home, our awareness of our own society and our excitement with what we have seen and experienced will fill us to overflowing. A new sensitivity must be brought to bear when we realize that others may not share that excitement. We will find ways to communicate; pictures, slide shows, power point presentations, brief talks will be welcomed, but the intangible gifts we have brought home may be difficult to share.

Many times we'll want to "do something" over time to support the community we visited. Rather than falling into the old pattern of wanting to send money or simply praying for the people who became our friends, we need to discern how the everyday political and consumer decisions we make will directly affect the lives of people back in Honduras. Our mission doesn't end when we get back home.

Updated Feb. 2005